Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1887-12-27

fever seemed 10 scorch through every
vein For hours scarcely could realize
where WAS or the less that had been SUIT
fered- Every glance around the room,
revealing the vacant places Of friends,
would bring cur sorruw freshly upon NJ
again. Grief fer cur comrades and appre-
hsIsion for ourselves we're fnseparably
blended The audiences OF the shock by
which we we're separated seemed to reveal
q spirit that forbade rs to hope, while it
was q terrible aegrayation Of the pain Of
parting. Thus the afternoon hours slowly
drifted by unGeS a shadow too dark for
verbs No one yentured as yet to speak
OF hope.
The first distraction In this terrible hour
we owed to cur friendly jailer. He asked
US IL we would Ike TO be ell put in one
room.
We were eager for this privilege. and he
brought over the eight who were in the
front room and placed them with u.s. We
were now fourteen. including Capt. Fry,
of East Tennessee fame, who was placed
with u.s. There would have been much
to talk about In cur separate experiences
in kaD-yiiic and Chattanooga at any
other tilic, bllt now the thought Of the
lost swallowed up everything else.
At length some voice suggested-rather
family at first. for only few hours be-
fore il would have met keen ridicule-
that it would he well for Us to pray. The
thought was warmly welcomed. Not the
slightest objection was offered by any one,
and we ct once all knelt. One member
Of the party has lately told me that while
he knelt with the rest, and was careful to
say nothing TO discourage us, yet he never
lei ia prayer, or said anything to Indicate
that he had changed his Lille purpose. l
did not notice the exception at the time,
us every head was bowed and every face
covered Capt. Fry was first requested
to lead us, which was peculiarly appro-
PIRATE, as hc had always maintained q
consistent religious life, and now seemed
to feel our great sorrow as il it We're his
own. He prayed with deep earncstness,
strong sobs mingling with his feryent Pc
titions Then others led, and we con-
tinued until all but the ore already al
luded to hal prayed in turn; then those
who had prayed before began again.
There seemed to be some help in simply
telling our trouble. On my own part, l
do not think that there was n great deal
Of faith ut least SO far as temporal deliv-
eranee was concerned, but there came
calmness and a passing away Of bitter
ness that was restful to our tired hearts.
We besought God mainly that he would
prepare us for the fate that seemed
inevitable, and that as he had led
us into great trials, he would in some
manner sustain us there. We kept on
praying with but short intervals till the
sun went down. AS twilight deepened
into darkness-the emblem of our own
lives-so our petitions grew more solemn.
.nI hap bof Tn,
the darkness it appeared easier to behold
the heavenly light. We began to ask for
deliverance in this world as well as in the
hour Of death, and to have hope, very
faint and trembling, that it might be grant
ed Then little by little we began to profess
our purpose to live religious lives while
we were spared, whether the time was
long or short. do not know that there
was anything clear and definite in the
way of conversion or sudden change on
the part of any; but when 1t is remem-
bered that III the forenoon we had amused
ourselves by all kind games. that pro-
fame words and lests were not uncommon,
and that we would have been ashamed to
speak Of prayer or of religion in any way
except as a mere theory, it will be seen
that there was no slight alteration in us
already. From that hour date the birth
of an immortal hope and new purpose
in life. And in this experience am not
solitary.